The present invention is drawn to the field of illumination, and more particularly, to a novel rechargeable lamp system.
Candles may be moved and placed to provide illumination and/or ambience. While their utilitarian and aesthetic advantages are well-known, candles suffer from an undesirable self-consumption, needing to be replaced when used-up; produce smoke especially when snuffed, which may foul the air; require vigilant attendance to mitigate an ever-present fire hazard; are susceptible to being extinguished by gusts of air when used outdoors or moved around; and may give rise to undesirable wax build-up, which in many instances needs removed from candle support members or underlying structures.
There is thus a need to provide a rechargeable lamp system that enjoys the many utilitarian and aesthetic advantages of candles but is not subject to their disadvantages.
It is accordingly a general object of the present invention to disclose a rechargeable lamp system that provides candle-like lighting for indoor or outdoor use that avoids the problems associated with candles.
In accordance therewith, the rechargeable lamp system of the present invention includes a recharging platter adapted to receive a set of luminaries including a first circuit coupled to each luminary of said set of luminaries received thereon operative in response to supplied AC power to provide a charge signal to each luminary of said set of luminaries received thereon; and a set of luminaries each having a light emitting element connected to a rechargeable battery pack via a second circuit operative in one mode to charge said rechargeable battery pack in response to said charge signal when each luminary of said set of luminaries is received on said recharging platter and operative in another mode to activate said light emitting element in response to the absence of said signal, whereby, each said luminary lights if removed from said recharging platter and lights if no AC power is supplied to said recharging platter when received therein.
In the presently preferred embodiments, the set of luminaries includes one or more luminaries each of which is inductively coupled to the first circuit of the recharging platter. The inductive coupling provides automatic, hands-free recharging of the rechargeable battery pack of a luminary upon its receipt by the recharging platter, and provides automatic, hands-free actuation of a luminary when it is removed therefrom.
In the presently preferred embodiments, each luminary of the set of luminaries is self-standing and includes a diffusor that may be shaped to resemble a candle releasably mounted to a base member supporting said light emitting element therewithin.